White House: Westboro protests 'reprehensible,' but can't deem it a hate group

3:09 PM,
Jul. 3, 2013

Gay marriage supporters protest the protesters from Westboro Baptist Church on Monday in Wilmington, Del.

Written by

David Jackson
USA Today

The White House says it can't list anti-gay protesters at the Westboro Baptist Church as a "hate group," but it can - and does - condemn its practices.

Responding to a petition on its We the People website, the White House criticized the church's tactics of protesting gay rights at the funerals of military servicemembers.

"We agree that practices such as protesting at the funerals of men and women who died in service to this country and preventing their families from mourning peacefully are reprehensible - a point that President Obama has made for years," said the White House response. ...